what do you think of ....
 

the new mini? I see on the Fiat 500 thread that one member said the mini was a pig? I used to own a 1972 Austin Mini and it started to burn oil at 30k miles. It had a few problems.I sold after about a year. What is the modern day mini like?Is it better than the old one?

My wife has a 2006 Mini with 38,000 miles on it. Manual transmission. Only problem it had was a warped thermostat cover that was replaced under warranty. Gone through one set of tires. She loves the car and I even like driving it. My wife likes it so much all she wants to trade it in on is another Mini.

When our Jetta gets too long in the tooth, my wife wants to replace it with a Mini. She's not as keen on the Fiat because of the large blind spots.

My GF has a 2005 mini with an auto. I hate the transmission. It hesitates at start up, almost feels like the car has the parking brake on or something. Not sure how to describe it. I'm assuming it has been programmed to give the car a sportier feel. It's anemic from a performance perspective with this trans. The car now has 45,000ish miles. It's been hit hard a couple of times so take this with a grain of salt. It doesn't feel solid to me. Things shake, rattle and roll. The ride is harsh. I have two 911's, one is very much a track car. I'd rather take either one of those on a long trip. I'm not a fan. The interior is very, not sure of the right word, gimmicky and cheap feeling.

It does handle well, feels very sharp on turn in. Brakes are solid. I just replaced her front pads and rotors. Easy job. I'm sure it's improved as the production cycles have moved forward. She hasn't had any mechanical failures I'm aware of.

Hers has a built in navigation system that is worthless at best. The interface is terrible compared to my Acura of the same year.

"I used to own a 1972 Austin Mini and it started to burn oil at 30k miles. It had a few problems.I sold after about a year. What is the modern day mini like?Is it better than the old one?"


I had an old 1275 Mini and I've driven a new one. The only thing they have in common is the name. The new one is much better transportation, much less fun.

I have a 2005 with 129000 miles. Knock wood, no mechanical issues and just a couple non-wear and tear type issues - mostly external lights not being sealed well leading to corrosion. Been thru a few sets of tires, one set of front and rear pads, and added Koni sports earlier in the year. Little noticeable interior wear aside from the driver's bolster. It is loads of fun to drive on back roads, wringing it out in 2nd and 3rd gear above 4k. I've done day trips and gotten out of the car without any fatigue. About 50/50 highway/secondary has yielded lifetime average of about 33mpg.